Under the stewardship of four generations of family, the Italian eatery has been a stalwart at 2607 N. University St. since 1926. But its signature Tiger Sauce didn’t debut until 30 years later.

At the time, second-generation owner Frank Agatucci would see Geno Fulgenzi come in most days to order a small sausage pizza and side salad. Fulgenzi would chomp away the lettuce, dip his slices into the leftover tangy, garlicky dressing. He’d often point to the dressing and say, “Frank, you need to put this on the tables. It’s fantastic with pizza.”

Eventually, Agatucci decided to give it a try, but needed bottles. He wandered around a restaurant-supply store and found some perfect squeeze bottles — though emblazoned with the face of a Bengal tiger and imprinted “tiger sauce.” Still, the price had been discounted, so he snapped up a bunch of the odd bottles.

The bottles, placed atop the bar and at tables, became a hit — and the dressing became known as Tiger Sauce. Patrons even began to buy the sauce for home use, and still do today. Though the original bottles long ago vanished, you’ll still find Tiger Sauce atop each table.